Having a well-programmed training plan and taking some precautions can greatly minimize risks to these injuries and ailments.

Here are some tips to prevent running injuries.

– Don’t Ignore Pain: From my experience as a sports therapist, most runners (and other athletes) who come to the sports clinic and complain with unbearable pain are usually those who have been ignoring the pain and discomfort for some time and waited for the pain to worsen before going to be checked and treated. Muscle soreness is natural and it is sometimes okay to ‘run through the pain‘ especially if you only feel slight soreness from your legs, but if the pain has been consistent and increasing, then it’s a sign that what you are feeling is more than just regular DOMS. If you run with sore legs, it might also mean that other muscles will be compensating for the effort. So if you feel sore but you need to add mileage, run at a slower pace.

– Rest Adequately: Most of these running injuries result from lack of enough recovery time for the body to repair and strengthen itself for your next run. At the slight feeling of unusual discomfort or pain, lessen your running load or activity and rest adequately.

– Warm up and Stretch: Tightness of muscles causes an imbalance in your body. Make sure that you stretchespecially after you run, holding the stretch for each area for at least 20 seconds. Before you run, warm-up properly and try to do dynamic stretching and reach the muscles ROM to ensure that they are ready. Some people and websites advice focusing the stretch for the calves, hamstring, groin and quadriceps, but a whole body stretching routine which includes other body parts that are involved with running (shins, hips, low back, abdominals, and even chest and shoulders) will ensure that your body is well-balanced and ready for your run. A good warm-up routine lasts for 5 to 10 minutes and conditions the whole body, not just the legs.

– Lift those weights: Resistance or strength training can help you develop muscle strength and endurance for your runs. Resistance training also adds to your core strength. Don’t worry about bulking up from weight training – having a balanced training program will ensure that you reach your goals without adding extra weight.

– Cross train: Doing other activities or sports will develop your body in different aspects and may help you improve your agility, stamina, and coordination. This helps prevent injuries because your body becomes prepared to react to different kinds of stresses. Don’t just run – try swimming, biking, basketball, football, even wall climbing! Cross-training also minimizes risk for overuse injuries which occurs especially when you repeat the same activity (i.e., running) over and over again.

– Dress appropriately: Make sure that your shoes fit right. If you have flat feet or high arc, wear appropriate shoes that meets your specific needs. Check the soles of your running shoes – running shoes are usually good after 400 to 500 kilometers. If possible, wear a separate pair for every day walking and running to prevent your shoes from wearing out quickly.

– Patience is a virtue: Don’t force yourself to run longer distances too soon. A safe range for increasing distance is 10% per week. Do not try to run uphill or downhill if your body is not ready for it. It is commonly thought that running downhill is easier because you get gravity to lessen your effort, but running downhill can actually be more stressful to your joints and muscles as the body tries to ‘brake’ and control the fall.

– Stay hydrated: Long duration physical activities like running may require additional 1 1/2 to 2 /12 cups of water on running days. drink 150 to 250ml of water 15 to 30 minutes prior to your run. Try to drink at least 150ml of water after every 15 minutes during your run. Hydrate with a sports drink after your long run to replenish lost liquids and electrolytes.

– Talk to a coach or trainer: If you are serious about wanting to improve your performance and adding up to your mileage, talking to a professional is the best thing to do. Reading about training programs and running regimens may not be enough. Doing what other seasoned runners in your club may not even be beneficial. Individualization of your running program is very important not only because it will significantly improve your performance, but it will also decrease risks for injuries.

Muscle pulls can occur to your hamstrings (back of thigh), quadriceps (front of thigh), gastrocnemius (calves), or adductors (groin muscle/inside of thighs). A muscle pull is a small tear on a muscle that is caused by overstretching. Pulling a muscle sometimes produces a popping sensation when the muscle tears. It is an acute injury that can be very painful upon onset.

How to treat muscle pulls: Like any other acute injury, stop from your activity and rest. Immediately put ice on the muscle for 10 to 20 minutes, until the swelling has lessened. Seek medical attention to determine how much your muscle is damaged. For muscle pulls, you need to undergo physiotherapy treatments so that your muscles will heal properly. If you just let the injury pass, the fibers in your muscles will develop scar tissues which may hinder movement or increase risk for future injuries.

How to prevent muscle pulls: Muscle pulls happen on shocked muscles either because they are not properly warmed up or because you made your muscles do something heavy that they have not done before, or both. Make sure that your body especially your legs are warmed up properly before you run. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes, doing both metabolic movements to facilitate blood flow to working muscles and dynamic stretching.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome or PFPSis obviously a common injury to runners that its layman’s term is called “runner’s knee.” However, this may happen to other athletes as well. Runners knee occurs when the kneecap is out of alignment and stress is continuously placed on this misaligned joint. It is a chronic injury that results from wearing down of knee cartilage. Runners kneeor PFPScan be recognized with pain around the kneecap when going up or down stairs, squatting, or sitting with knee bent for a long time. Some people may be more susceptible tight to this injury because of their anatomical structure (flat feet or misaligned knees turning inward), but tight and under-developed hamstrings and quadriceps are usually the main culprits.

How to treat Runners Knee or PFPS: Runners knee is an injury that will heal given its own time. But this doesn’t mean that you can run it off. Take an appropriate time to rest and avoid putting weight on your knees. While resting, you can do cross-training such as cycling or swimming to relieve your knees of the stressful loads of running and strengthen the muscles around them. Put ice around the area of your knee if you experience swelling, for 10 to 20 minutes every other day or until the swelling is gone.

How to prevent Runners Knee or PFPS: Your knees will thank you for doing resistance exercises. Do other activities apart from running like Pilates. Have your feet and knees checked – wear orthotics for your feet if you are flat footed. You can also wear a fitting knee support if pain comes back after treatment. Be strict about increasing your mileage to 10% per week. Run on level roads and limit your downhill or uphill runs.

The IliotibialBandor ITB Syndrome causes pain felt on the outside of the knee. The Iliotibial band (ITB) is a long tendon that connects the top of the hip to the knee at the side of the thigh. It is commonly believed that ITB syndrome occurs when the ITB tightens and rubs against the knee cap. However, new studies suggest that Iliotibial band paincan be caused by tightness from hip muscles pulling the knee. This syndrome can be mistaken for knee pain since pain is felt almost on the same area. You can determine if you have Iliotibial bandsyndromeby bending your knee to a 45 degree angle and you feel pain on the outside of your knee. Getting an MRI may be the most accurate way to know if you have ITBS since it will show any thickening of the band.

How to treat Iliotibial Band Syndrome: The best way to treat this syndrome is to decrease your mileage or not run at all. Rest is very important to lessen the load on your knees and give time for them to heal. Get a massage to loosen up the muscles around the hips and thighs. Stretch your hips and thighs regularly. Foam rollers are starting to be popular, but you need to know how to use them properly to gain the most benefits.

How to prevent Iliotibial Band Syndrome: Warm-up properly for 5 to 10 minutes before you run, ensuring that your leg muscles are ready for the run. When you start to feel pain around the knee while running, slow down and refrain from running uphill or downhill. Decrease your mileage for the week or cross-train. Make sure that your shoes are not worn out on the sides of the sole and replace your shoes as soon as you can if they are worn out. Another thing you can do if you regularly run on a track is to change the direction of your run.

Have you experienced any of these conditions before? How did you recover?
Do you find these tips helpful?
What else do you want to know about running injuries and ailments?
Let me know in the comments!

Running Injuries happen when you push yourself too hard too soon. Your body should have enough time to recover and adapt to training stress. Most runners want to run through the pain which often leads to worse injuries. It is important to be familiar with these running injuries and ailments and know how to prevent them. In this three-part series, I will go through the common running injuries and ailments and show some ways how to treat and prevent those conditions.

Plantar Fascitis is a chronic injury to the plantar aspect or the bottom part of the foot. Plantar fascitis occurs when the tendon or the thick band of tissue that connects the heel to the toes gets inflamed. Plantar fascitis is usually caused by tight calf muscles pulling on the heel when running. Also, people with a high arc on their feet are more susceptible to this injury. Although Plantar fascitis is related to stress in the plantar fascia, it can sometimes happen without obvious reasons.

How to treat Plantar Fascitis: When you start feeling pain on your plantar fascia, stop your activity and try to stretch your foot and calf. After your run, you can do trigger point release on your foot by rolling a tennis ball under your foot. Get a foot massage. Rest for at least 48 hours and progressively increase your distance when you run.

How to prevent Plantar Fascitis: Regularly stretch your feet and calves. Make sure that your shoes fit right and are still in good condition. If you have a high arc, wear insoles or arc support. Try to refrain from running uphill.

Achilles Tendinitis is an inflammation of the Achilles tendon or the tissue that connects the back of your heel to your calf muscle. Achilles Tendinitis produces a burning sensation on the area especially in the morning and with activity. It is usually caused by repetitive stress to the Achilles tendon when you add distance to your runs. Tightness from the calf muscles is also a common culprit to this injury.

How to treat Achilles Tendinitis: Treatment for any running related inflammation is Rest for at least 48 hours and gradual return to running. Upon onset of Achilles tendinitis, you can put ice on your heel or directly on your Achilles tendon for 20 minutes. While recovering from injury, you can regularly put heat on the area for 20 minutes and stretch it. Massage will also help.

How to prevent Achilles Tendinitis: Regularly stretch your calves before and after your runs, and during rest days. Make sure that you are warmed up properly before you run.

3.) Ankle Sprain

Ankle sprain is a very common acute injury caused by accidentally turning the foot at the ankle joint sideways. The tendon and ligaments of the ankle are overstretched and even torn when the foot twists inwardly.

How to treat Ankle Sprain: Never run through ankle sprains. If you do, more ligaments will get damaged and just worsen the injury. Upon onset of ankle sprain, stop your activity and rest your foot. Put ice on the inflamed area for 20 minutes. Apply elastic bandage around your ankle and foot for compression and help lessen the swelling. Elevate your foot to let the blood flow away from the swollen area. Do not massage sprained ankles. Ankle sprains take up from 3 days to 2 weeks of rest for full recovery depending on the severity of the injury.

How to prevent Ankle Sprains: Do exercises that strengthen your foot and leg muscles. Be aware of your surroundings when you run and try not to run long and fast distances on unfamiliar routes, especially trail roads. If you have a race, go through the race route at least once so that you are familiar with the terrain.

4.) Stress Fracture

Stress fracture is also a chronic injury that can cause extreme discomfort and pain. Stress fracture is a small crack in the leg bone or foot which occurs when the body works too hard without having enough time for the tissues and bones to repair and recover. It is a chronic injury that may start with minimal pain but gets worse and worse with activity.

How to treat Stress fracture: Rest as soon as you feel extreme pain and discomfort in your legs. Do not run through the pain as the pounding movement from running adds to the injury. Seek help from a medical professional.

How to prevent Stress Fracture: Simply following a well-timed training program will prevent you from developing stress fractures. Make sure that you have enough rest and recovery periods in between training bouts. You can also switch running surfaces once in a while; for example, run on the road today then run on dirt or grass the next day for a softer surface.

5.) Shin Splints

Shin splint is another common running injury that can be felt in the front or inside of the leg along the shin bone (tibia). Shin splints occur when you suddenly run longer distances or when you increase the number of days you run in a week too quickly. Note that people with flat feet are more susceptible to develop shin splints.

How to treat Shin Splints: Rest for at least 48 hours, or until symptoms are absent. Stretch your tibialis anterior and massage the area. Gradually return to activity.

How to prevent Shin Splints: Make sure that you are warmed up properly before you run. Most runners usually stretch the back of the legs, the calves, but neglect the muscles at the front of the legs, the tibialis anterior. Include this muscle in your stretching routine. Make sure that your shoes fit well. Include strengthening exercises in your training program like toe-up walks, backpedals, and foot mobilization exercises.

These are the first five injuries for this series. Next on the list will be Muscle strain, Runner’s knee, IT Band Syndrome, Piriformis Syndrome and Low back painwhich I will post next week! The 3rd and last part will be some other ailments and additional tips to prevent running injuries.

Have you experienced any of these conditions before? How did you recover?
Do you find these tips helpful?
What else do you want to know about running injuries and ailments?
Let me know in the comments?

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